These are some of the top headlines in Bulgarian newspapers on May 6 2008. The Sofia Echo has not verified these stories and cannot vouch for their accuracy.

May 6 is the Bravery and Bulgarian Army Day celebrations and is an official holiday in Bulgaria.

Policy

- Bulgaria’s new Defence Ministry Nikolai Tsonev would visit Bulgarian troops in Afghanistan, Dnevnik daily quoted Bulgarian news agency BTA as saying. The visit was announced during a video conversation of the minister with Bulgarian troops abroad.

- New Interior Minister Mihail Mikov opposed the idea fire-fighting department to be split from the Interior Ministry. There has been an idea the department to become part of the Disaster Management Ministry or the municipalities. Such a decision could cause more problems that it could resolve, Mikov said, as quoted by Standart daily.

Society

- The salaries of all employees of Pirogov emergency hospital would be raised by 30 per cent, Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev announced on May 5, Dnevnik said. Thus the average salaries in the hospital would reach 1500 leva for the medics, Pirogov director Dimitar Radenovski said.

Economy

- Bulgaria’s Agriculture and Food Ministry had applied before the European Commission for an extension of the transition period during which it is allowed to subsidise tobacco producers in the country, Dnevnik said. The demand for oriental tobaccos worldwide was increasing and Bulgaria hoped the EC would approve the demand, new agriculture minister Valeri Tsvetanov said.